How low can I go...?

Bahanaman

Cleanman wrote: »

I've just come across this log today. Welcome! I'm not a marathoner - far from it in fact. But I do follow a lot of marathoners logs and read a lot about it over the years. From what I can see, you have got some some good advice here and you need to listen to it. You've obviously got bags of talent. But you need to be smarter with your training. Most of your runs looks far too fast for your target. Pushing yourself like that is only going to a) lead to injury (or prevent current problems from healing:mad:) and b) lead to a decrease in your fitness.

If I was you, I'd have a look at Krusty Clowns log. He's a sub 2:40 marathon man and does a lot of his runs at a slower pace than you. Indeed, some of his runs are in the 8 min/mile category. In fact, KU, who has already posted here is a sub 2:40 man too:rolleyes:

Enjoy the taper and take it easy and hopefully you'll smash 3:15.

And when starting up training for your sub 3hr marathon:D, take heed of what the experienced guys here are saying!

Looks like I'll have a good look at things alright Cleanman. I know those fellas have far more knowledge than me. I'm thinking it takes more discipline to run the slower pace in training. I'm gonna give Waterford an almighty lash and take stock then. Two weeks in Spain will help with that! Dublin might be next.

Bahanaman

And as far as the sub 3 hrs is concerned? That's a whole different ball game!

Bahanaman

Wed June 19th 4 miles @ 7:11 pace, forgot monitor
Fri June 21st 4 miles @ 7:39 pace, HR 127

Got a bit of a fright Wednesday. The achilles was sore all through the run and it seemed to be spreading all around the ankle area and up the outside of the leg into the knee! couldn't understand it! Iced it all evening and went to bed a very worried man!

Rested yesterday but then last night sitting on the sofa the heel started lifting me out of it!!! WTF!!!:eek: Went to bed twice as worried!

Up early this morning and out for an easy 4 miles to see what the story was. Stretched well, took me Berocca and off I went. Had to stop after about 300 metres! Achilles was stiff and painful. Stretched it again and got going again and after about half a mile it seemed grand and remained that way for the rest of the run. It has felt grand since too thank God!!

I'm wondering wer some of the symptoms I was feeling Wednesday and yesterday psychosomatic? A sign of taper madness?!

Anyway after the relief of finishing this morning's run pain free I've finally decided that sub 3:10 is the target next Saturday and that's that!!:D No more humming and hawing!! That's just under 7:15 per mile. How much lower than that would the garmin need to be showing in order to alow for running over the 26.2? Although I'll be trying to hit every tangent on every bend and corner on the route!

Bahanaman

Sat 22nd June: 8.48 miles @ 7:43 pace, HR 132

Really easy run. Only stretched out over the last half mile. Felt grand.

Bahanaman

Mon 24th June: 4 miles @ 7:14 pace. No HR.

I think the garmin was a bit dodgy tonight. It read a 6:59 second mile and I felt I was nowhere near that pace. Also, it beeped a good 20 metres before usual so I'm taking all the data for this one with a pinch of salt. Still, I went out to run at an easy effort and settled into a rhythm that I felt comfortable at and kept going. I was under no pressure at all and was very happy with the run. Nice to feel positive after a training run. It was a good way to end the training for Waterford as all I have left is a two mile jog Friday and that'll be only to prove to myself that the legs have not stopped working! Today, tomorrow and Thursday are gonna be a real test with the lack of activity but I realise it's vital to rest well before the big effort that Saturday undoubtedly will be! Bring it on!!!

Gavlor

Bahanaman wrote: »

Mon 24th June: 4 miles @ 7:14 pace. No HR.

I think the garmin was a bit dodgy tonight. It read a 6:59 second mile and I felt I was nowhere near that pace. Also, it beeped a good 20 metres before usual so I'm taking all the data for this one with a pinch of salt. Still, I went out to run at an easy effort and settled into a rhythm that I felt comfortable at and kept going. I was under no pressure at all and was very happy with the run. Nice to feel positive after a training run. It was a good way to end the training for Waterford as all I have left is a two mile jog Friday and that'll be only to prove to myself that the legs have not stopped working! Today, tomorrow and Thursday are gonna be a real test with the lack of activity but I realise it's vital to rest well before the big effort that Saturday undoubtedly will be! Bring it on!!!

Nice one.

Plenty of water over the next few days and make sure to sip plenty on Saturday. Forecast looks fairly hot

Bahanaman

Gavlor wrote: »

Nice one.

Plenty of water over the next few days and make sure to sip plenty on Saturday. Forecast looks fairly hot

Cheers Gav! Yeah hydration will be a major factor this week and especially Saturday. The organisers have obviously taken this into account with twelve water stops on the route. I reckon I'll be making use of all of them. That last 20 miler I did that hot Sunday I was drinking non stop from start to finish and I know it made a big difference to how I felt at the end. Say hello at the start Saturday! I'll be wearing a vest in the Carlow colours and a navy peaked cap (to keep the sun off the shiny head!!:D) Are you in good Shape yourself?:D

Gavlor

Bahanaman wrote: »

Cheers Gav! Yeah hydration will be a major factor this week and especially Saturday. The organisers have obviously taken this into account with twelve water stops on the route. I reckon I'll be making use of all of them. That last 20 miler I did that hot Sunday I was drinking non stop from start to finish and I know it made a big difference to how I felt at the end. Say hello at the start Saturday! I'll be wearing a vest in the Carlow colours and a navy peaked cap (to keep the sun off the shiny head!!:D) Are you in good Shape yourself?:D

I'm always in great shape

I'm racing the half this weekend, I'm kind of regretting now not doing the full!
I know this sounds a bit of a contradiction but dont drink too much water on saturday, it'll flush out your salts. drink little and drink often. Are you bringing your own gels?

Most importantly, as soon as you see hasbro, if you have anything left let her rip. It's downhill for the last 1.5 miles and there is a great finish around the freshly laid RSC track.

I'll keep an eye out for a white, bald Jamaican so!

Bahanaman

I'll keep an eye out for a white, bald Jamaican so![/QUOTE]

That'll be me alright! Won't gulp the water for the sake of it. They're in 330ml bottles so they won't be awkward to be carrying I think. I'll be just sipping as I'm thirsty I think. I'm bringing Hi-5 raspberry gels. Dunno how many to take. I've taken a good few in the marathons I've run to date.
I did a the last 19 of the route a couple of weeks ago so I'm ready for Hasbro. Actually that day I was fairly shook at the end of the run but still gave it a lash down the hill and threw in a fast last mile. So if I have anything left at all It'll be hell for leather down past the IT! I hope 123 has worked his magic and got the job done on the Green Road! The surface is brutal! When you're 22 miles into a marathon, chasing down the clock and fighting all sorts of demons, a rough surface is the last thing you want to be dealing with! Then again the legs might be numb from the knee down by then anyway!

Bahanaman

Here's a good link to a forecast for Saturday. If it's accurate we'll all be delighted! http://www.yr.no/place/Ireland/Munster/Waterford/long.html

Bahanaman

Time to resurrect this thread I think! Following Waterford last June where for a few reasons the 3:10 was way out of reach, I've done virtually nothing! Two weeks holidays in Spain was followed by a return to the hurling field at the request of a friend who had gotten injured and asked me to help out! It was a Dad's army team of old friends having a bit of craic and I would never have been let forget it if I turned them down! Problem was almost immediately I aggravated an old groin injury which put the kybosh on Dublin and all training since. My specialist says I prob need the gilmore groin procedure again. (had it done 9 years ago) but I got a steroid injection into it just before Christmas and have started back doing a bit. Jesus I'm in some state. Way overweight (+ a stone and a half on Waterford) and running at a snail's pace. I got down to 3:17:59 in Waterford which in hindsight with the extra few yards!!! and the heat on the day I was very happy with. Now I'm targeting 3:15 for my next marathon. Dunno which one that will be but it does look like Waterford is on the horizon again. This year I hope to do more races like 10ks and that and get more into the whole road racing scene. I'll keep updating the log with and would love advice from others on here. I promise I'll pay more heed to it this year..Ok Village Runner?!!!:P

Cleanman

Best of luck with the comeback. Gilmore's groin is a b!tch. I had mine done years ago too but thankfully have had no problems with it since.

Bahanaman

Didn't do a great job resurrecting this thread did I? However this time I mean business! Training has started in earnest for the Waterford marathon the 28th of June. That's just over 12 weeks away. I've been getting the fitness up the weight down and the miles into the legs. What I need now is a plan with structure that will have plenty of miles and loads of LSRs. Stamina has been a major problem in my marathons to date. 3:17:59 was the official time for Waterford last year (including the extra .2!) so I hope to lower that. By how much? That's the six million dollar question! Maybe 3:15 is the initial goal but I think if things go well I might be capable of 3:10 we'll see. I've joined a club which I find very good with the weekly track sessions getting the speed up and keeping me sharp. There's that bit of friendly competition that you wouldn't have on your own. Anyway I hope anyone who comes across this log will not find it too irritating and I would love advice as the weeks pass.

I was hoping that my official training would begin with a good long run last Sunday but things just didn't work out and I only got a short run in. So I'm going to record things from Monday and take it from there!

Mon 31st March: 5 miles @ 7:15 pace
Tue 1st April: 8.74 miles @ 7:38 pace Usual loop with plenty of hills.
Thu 3rd April: 6 x 800m with slow 400m recovery included in each rep. Times for the reps were 2:53, 2:50, 2:57 (struggled on this one!), 2:52, 2:49 and 2:48.

I missed a club track session last night so I wanted to try and get a decent bit of speed work done. I know I said above that I want to improve the stamina but I'm hoping with the help of the club that the speed will improve too! I pushed these really hard and the legs were screaming at the end of each one. I did a really slow jog in the rests for the first three but walked for some of the rests from then. I was too bolli#ed to keep jogging and anyway I reckon I was walking just as fast!

Onwards and upwards from here.

Bahanaman

Fri 4th April: 6.19 miles @ 7:26 pace.

This was a run along the route of a local 10k race that's being held next Sunday. Jaysus it's a tough one Long climb for most of the first half. The legs never really got going and even felt the pressure on the downhill sections near the end. It would be a really tough one to actually race! Not sure I'll do it next week. I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to hills.

Sat 5th April: 10.07 miles @ 7:31 pace.

This was my usual 8.75 mile loop with a little extra added to bring it to the 10 mile mark. The conditions weren't great. Got soaked over the last 5 miles. Also had a very worrying bout of stomach trouble which eventually forced a hasty jump into a field during the last mile!!! Hope this isn't going to be a recurring problem. I could do without a repeat of the butt clenching that went on over the last 6 miles in Waterford last year! Otherwise the run was ok and I threw in a fairly comfortable sub 7 min mile to finish (not including the pit stop!)

Bahanaman

Sun 6th April: 16.37 miles @ 7:55 pace.

This is the first LSR that I've done with Waterford specifically in mind. The average pace is a bit misleading as the garmin was a bit off at the start and measured the first two miles too short. I felt weak enough over the first half of the run. The quads were heavy and I wasn't really enjoying it. The second half was much better though and I have no clue why! The route was quite hilly which I don't like but unfortunately they can't be avoided around these parts and it was on one of these hills that I began to feel the improvement in the run! I wonder is it all in the head??!!.... Anyway as I got near home I decided to see if I could up the pace a little and did mile 13 in 7:16 and, following a break, Mile 15 in 6:55! That's good for me! That 6:55 was especially encouraging as there was quite a pull for about a quarter of it. 12 weeks now till the target race. I'm encouraged by this week but am cautious too as I have that Gilmore's groin thing that hasn't gone away! I have felt it a bit this week and it was tender after the run today but I'm hoping that if I'm careful it won't stop me getting to the start line in good fettle! Following the people in the Manchester marathon today has really got the blood up. I had hoped to be there myself but things conspired against that. Next year maybe (If the reports here are positive!).

Bahanaman

Tue 8th April: 7 miles @ 7:47 pace.

Following the rest day after Sunday's LSR I made sure to take this run nice and easy. To be honest I wasn't really able for much else. I was tired all day and the legs were heavy all through the run. While I felt pretty strong as Sunday's run went on I knew Monday it had taken quite a bit out of me and that carried on during the day yesterday. One thing I hope I've learned over the few years I've been running is that when I'm tired and in bad form just to go with whatever pace I can manage and not try and force things. I've had a habit of trying to make every run a good one and a lot of times pushing too hard, especially when I may have been having an off day. There are times when just getting out there and getting another few miles into the legs is enough. Having said that, even on this run I tried a few 30 sec strides over the last half mile! There was nothing there! Old habits.......

Bahanaman

Wed 9th April: Tempo/interval session 6 x 5 min @ 10k pace (?), 90 sec recovery.

Rep 1: .77 miles, rep 2: .76 miles, rep 3: .78 miles, rep 4: .77 miles, rep 5: .78 miles, rep 6: .81 miles. Ove.rall distance covered: 6.62 miles

I'm hoping that this run is one that I will look back on when the going gets tough next June. Not because it was anything special or I felt great during it but because I actually got out at all. Between work and family commitments I didn't get home until 10 pm. Also I gave the back a twist at work and it had all the signs of going into spasm. I had had no dinner, was tired and the couch looked really enticing. I know missing one run now and then is no harm but this is the first week of training focused on the race in June and I decided to head out. The run started at 10:19 pm. I only met one car thankfully as the locals would think I'm cracked! I was delighted when it was done. It was tough for each repeat but I was happy to be able to keep it consistent and then make the usual push to get that little bit extra out of the last one. The back felt grand but was sore after I warmed down and is still not 100% today. I hope this doesn't become a problem.

Bahanaman

The 10th April: 10 miles @ 7:39 pace.

Ordinary run at an ordinary pace. Felt tired though and the calves felt a little hard or something for at least the first half. There wasn't much response in the legs until the last two or three miles. Now that I've settled on the BAA plan I'm beginning to realise it's a fair step up on what I've tried to do for the four marathons I've done so far. I new it was on paper but now am beginning to see it as I actually put it into practice! It'll be interesting to see how the legs hold up on the injury front. They feel quite strong at the moment so that's a positive. The groin issue is something that's there but is grand at the moment too, another positive. The back problem that flared up yesterday is something that comes every so often and can lead to being totally crippled for anything up to three weeks. But it does seem to be settling down so I'm going to look on that as a positive too:) Hmmm I think I'm gonna look for the positives from here on in no matter how contrived they are!

Bahanaman

First thing's first congrats/commiserations to all in London today! What an event. Would love to do it some day. Here is my latest update.

Sat 12th April: 10 miles @ 7:26 pace.

This was a run that felt quite good. The heaviness that was there last Thursday was gone. (A positive!). I ran a 6:44 last mile which I was very happy with. The plan had detailed a run on Friday but I didn't get out. I'm saying the reason was "I listened to my body!" Such discipline!

Sun 13th April: 17 mile lsr @ 7:40 pace Miles 11, 12 and 13 at pmp (?) Mile 11: 7:01, mile 12: 7:08, mile 13: 7:01.

This run was the first I did this year along the River Barrow track. It's on my doorstep and is a beautiful place to run. Obviously it being by a river there are no hills! The surface is a bit dodgy in spots but by and large it's grand and is much easier on the joints than tarmac. I've never incorporated marathon paced miles into my long runs before but the plan includes them so today was a first. If it's good enough for newly sub 3hr men like the bauld Gavlor (congrats again!) then it's surely good enough for me! It was only three miles but they were near the end when I was beginning to get tired. I had eaten only a banana before starting out. I'm really not sure what my target for Waterford is going to be but I decided this morning to try a good pace for the pmp effort. I was really happy with them although I found it hard to keep the pace steady. I hope to keep adding them to the runs over the next few weeks and hopefully this will build up the strength and endurance I need to finally have a strong finishing six miles in a marathon.

Bahanaman

Tue 14th April: 7 miles @ 7:23 pace.


The benefit of doing the lsr on the Barrow track on Sunday was clear during yesterday's rest day. The legs didn't feel nearly as beaten up as they had after last weeks lsr. I won't be doing all of them on this track as I'll have to have some hills during my long runs and believe me there is no shortage of hills around here!

Today's run was uneventful. A straightforward 7 miles. I wasn't feeling totally at ease but didn't feel I was going that fast anyway. The garmin was reading a faster pace than I felt I was doing. I hope it's reading true! The run is an over and back type and today the wind was quite strong for the "back" section. God I really hate running in the wind :mad: Even more so than dealing with hills! I pushed the last mile as usual and got in a 7:04. I'm wondering is this habit wise? Should I just complete the ordinary runs at whatever pace I've settled at? Do I risk injury pushing the last mile? Maybe it does good? I dunno! Advice appreciated.

Bahanaman

Wed 16th April: Club session 6 min, 2 min rest, 12 min, 4 min rest, 8 min, 2 min rest, 6 min, warm down. All effort runs @ 10k pace. Total distance covered: 6.64 miles.

Really enjoyed this session. Only 4 people doing it. I benefited from doing it with a fella who is faster than I am so really pushed myself to keep up with him. Unfortunately I forgot to turn off the auto lap on the garmin so the data I got from it is a bit screwed up! thankfully the other fella had a stopwatch to accurately count the time intervals! So much for technology!

Bahanaman

Thu 17th April: 6 miles @ 7:31 pace.

This was a run that I found tough enough. I was tired and the legs felt heavy. The plan called for anything from 5-8 miles. I did 6 and for tonight that was plenty. (I've been sowing a hedge the last couple of days and to be honest I ain't used to this physical work!). Still I settled into a rhythm and got through it. If I learned one thing today though it was that it is most definitely unwise to have chicken tikka for dinner any time before heading out for a run.. no matter how many hours before! The last half mile tonight was very dodgy...only just got home in time :eek:

Bahanaman

Fri 18th April: 7 miles @ 7:31 pace

A run that I was dreading turned into one of my most enjoyable ever! Again I was really tired after another day sowing that fu*king hedge and I swapped a tempo for what was down as a 3-7 mile run. I expected to only do maybe 5 miles at the most but from the minute I started out I felt great! There was a bounce in the legs and the effort felt so easy! The only times I looked at the watch was to check each mile split and this gave me more reason to be happy. The first three miles were all 7:31, mile 4 was 7:26, 5 and 6 were 7:32 and the last was 7:36. This is the most consistent set of splits I've ever ran and I managed it without glancing at the watch every couple of hundred metres! Happy days! I also resisted the urge to up the pace for the last mile and finished really fresh. This is something I must keep doing. So a run I didn't really want to do turned out to be one that reminded me of why I took up running in the first place. Long may it continue.

Bahanaman

Saturday 19th April: 8 mile tempo run on the Barrow Track which consisted of 6 min warm up followed by 20 min @ mp: 6:54 pace for this section, 7 min rest, 10 min @ mp: 7:06 for this section.

I decided to do this on the river track again because it was an absolutely lovely evening for a run and of course it's so level! I was happy with it although I'm suspicious of the 6:54 pace for the first 20 min mp section. Sometimes I think the garmin loses a bit of signal in certain parts of the valley! I felt strong enough during both mp sections and didn't feel the increase in pace too much at all.

Sunday 20th April: 11 mile "LSR" Last 3 miles @ mp. Mile 9: 7:08, mile 10: 7:09, mile 11: 6:48.

This run came in the afternoon having been to the pool with the children and doing a bit of driving afterwards. The plan called for a half marathon race but I decided to keep it shorter as I was again tired. The run went quite well and I incorporated a couple of hills which I'm just going to have to accept as part of running in this little neck of the woods. Worryingly I had to jump into a field after 9 miles and this time chicken tikka had nothing to do with it! I hope this doesn't start regularly. Eventhough I was tired I didn't find the upping of the pace over the last three miles too hard at all.

Major session Sunday night! Sick as a small hospital all day Monday. Couldn't stir! Off the beer now again for a good while!

Tuesday 22nd April: 6 miles @ 7:29 pace.

Was still feeling the effects of Sunday's alcohol poisoning! Plan called for anything from 5-8 miles. Settled for 6 as it was after 10 pm when I got out. It was a grand easy run and I threw in a couple of strides just at the end.

Bahanaman

Wednesday 23rd April: Track session: 6 x 3 min @ 5k pace with 90 sec recovery. Fastest rep was @ 5:46 pace for the last one (as usual!) First two were @ 5:49 pace followed by 5:53, 6:03 and 6:02 paces for the next three respectively.

I've never actually done a 5k before so just tried to push harder than 40 min 10k pace (which I've yet to break) I found it tough enough but still had a bit at the end to push on and get a little distance on the two lads I was doing it with. They seemed to be more comfortable than I was over the whole session but I seemed to have a bit of a kick at the very end over the last 50-60 sec which was encouraging!

I think I've finally worked last Sunday's drinking binge out of my system! I had one of those "never again!" hangovers! Have I learned my lesson??....

Bahanaman

Thursday 24th April: 12 miles @ 7:37 pace.

The plan called for a medium long run tonight of anything from 10-13 miles. I again only got out late so I got so far onto the run and decided that 12 would be the furthest I'd go or the locals would be sending out the men in the white coats for me! (I got in at 11:25 pm) It was quite cold but the run wasn't too bad. I didn't feel too much bounce in the legs but still decided to do the last mile at mp and did a 6:56. I was happy with that especially as I wasn't blowing at the end of the run!

I know it was late for this run and I'm going to have to see about doing runs early in the morning to get used to running at the same time as the marathon. I'm really putting a big effort into this training block though and I don't want to miss a session. I want to see what I can do on what I think is a tough enough course in Waterford.

echancrure

Gosh you're working hard! Don't forget to listen to your body...

Good to know the Barrow track is well clear of floods, I'll try it tomorrow myself.

Will follow your progress and good luck for Waterford, you should do well with all that careful well planned training.

regards

Bahanaman

Saturday April 26th: 6 miles @ 7:29 pace

Sunday April 27th: LSR- 19.17 miles with miles 11-14 inclusive @ mp. Overall average for run: 7:49

Between the jigs and the reels I just couldn't get out for a planned run Friday. I'll just have to accept the odd missed one I suppose. The problem was yesterday was going the same way and I was in danger of missing another run! I wanted to get something done as I didn't want to be going into today's LSR too fresh and be tempted to go too fast! Thankfully I eventually got out at the by now usual late hour and got a good run in that would hold me back for this morning's long run.

So the long run started at the ungodly hour for me of 7:51 am today. The body was in shock for the first couple of miles but I soon settled into a rhythm. I could feel last night's run in the legs which was a good thingAs I was never tempted to push harder than I should for a long run. The plan called for the last 4 miles to be done at marathon pace but my last four miles today contained two huge hills and it would be impossible to get the pace done there. So I decided to go with them from miles 10 to 14 which were part of a loop I did twice during the run and which I think might be net downhill!:D I was beginning to feel a bit tired before these miles so I was curious to see how they'd go. Here's the breakdown:

Mile 11: 7:06, mile 12: 6:58 (net downhill), mile 13: 6:56 (more downhill! ), mile 14: 7:00.

Considering I was tiring before these miles began I really happy with the splits. I was fairly at the limit doing them but still for me they're good times even allowing for the slight downhill nature of the section (there were a few little pulls there too!) Also I had those two huge hills to contend with almost immediately after the mp section so that pit me back in my box pronto. But I did get over them and got home so all in all I'd say it was a good day's running. I'm still clueless as to what my target time will be in June but I was thinking the weather will have a big say on the day. Even this morning once the sun came through it changed from being quite chilly to fairly warm and by the time I finished the sweat was pouring off me! I could be a lot warmer in 9 weeks and that could add any amount to a fella's time on the day. Sure we'll see. I suppose I'll have to plan with perfect conditions in mind and take it as it comes on the day.

Bahanaman

Tuesday April 29th: 8.47 miles @ 7:38 pace.

Nice run where I only looked at the watch for the splits. I tried to run "within myself" whatever that means?! settled into a nice rhythm early on and didn't change the level of effort for the duration. My calves felt a bit sore and heavy for the first part of the run which I'd say was the residue of Sunday's LSR. Jaysus I'd love to have the dosh for trips to the physio for a rub down the odd week!. Still no niggles to speak of so far so I shouldn't be whinging! Training is going well so far. Hope it continues.

Bahanaman

Wednesday April 30: Track session: 6 x 800m (200m recovery) Rep 1: n/a, rep 2: 2:58, rep 3: 2:54, rep 4: 2:48, rep 5: 2:51, rep 6: 2:49.

This was a club session where there was a bit of confusion. What was supposed to be 4 X 8 min @ 10k pace turned into what's outlined above! The coach couldn't make it tonight and one of the lads thought the reps were supposed to be 800m instead of 8 min with 200m rest instead of 2 min!! When we had done the fourth rep I was fairly sure we'd made a mistake as this seemed a bit of a soft session compared to what we'd done over the last couple of weeks so I added two more. I couldn't get the garmin sorted at the start so I didn't get a time for the first rep but it was ok for the others. It was an enjoyable session as there is always that lovely bounce off the track compared to the road!